FACT: Many people thought the Beavers would need some gimmick to win. No fog? No possum? No problem!

FACT: There is nothing in the world like attending a live college football game. This was one of those games that make you remember why you pony up the dinero for season tickets. I was thinking this to myself BEFORE the game started. The weather was warm and dry, the crowd was pumped; it was a perfect day for football.

FACT: Years from now over half of the state of Oregon will claim that they were at the game.

FACT: Throat lozenge sales in Corvallis went through the roof in the hours after the game. It will be sometime late in the week before my voice returns to normal, just in time to ravage it at the ASU game.

FACT: There was a little bit of pom pom envy at the start of the game. The USC cheerleaders had the king sized mega pom pom action going. Perhaps, when the Pac-10 made pom pom orders USC got their share and OSU’s share of pom pom material.

FACT: It was a late arriving crowd. About half of the crowd on the east side of the stadium missed OSU’s first touchdown. This same part of the crowd was late arriving for the start of the second half. What the heck is going on over there? There is no way the bathrooms are more crowded than in the end zones or the west side. Maybe the east side crowd is hanging out in the new bathrooms just because they are so nice.

FACT: Todd the football god has an iron bladder. Even though he consumed much liquid prior to the game, he never went to the bathroom. He is a medical marvel.

FACT: Matt Moore was the man in control. He must have made at least one bad play during the game but I can’t remember any. He made the throws when he had to, didn’t throw when the play wasn’t there and made some good runs too. Two plays that stand out for me –

• The shovel pass in the first quarter, falling down and flipping the ball to Clinton Polk. It was a good play but not a dangerous play, only Polk could have caught that ball.
  
  
• The touchdown pass to Joe Newton. That was a perfectly thrown ball. Joe Newton was going to catch it or no one was going to catch it.

I don’t know what got into Matt after the WSU game, but he is even walking differently than he did before the Husky game. He is making quick decisions and seems in full command of his game. Oh, we sports fans are so fickle, we love you, we hate you, we love you -- on a game by game basis. But, everyone is happy to see a player persevere and overcome obstacles. Well done Matt.

FACT: Everyone in Beaver nation is happy to see big Joe play a game the way we know he can. The touchdown catch wasn’t exactly a gimme. Joe had to go up high and had to keep his feet in bounds.

FACT: Something tells me USC had the screen pass thing figured out.

FACT: Bryan Payton may have made the play of game even though it was in the first quarter. USC marched right down the field after the Beaver’s first touchdown and it felt, to me, like a USC touchdown would have said, “You can score touchdowns, but we can score more.” Bryan’s pick changed all of that and set the tone for the rest of the day.

FACT: It was nice to see the Pac-10 officials get their calls right. I didn’t like the outcome of the calls, but at least they were accurate.

FACT: I have to admit I was nervous before the onside kick, especially since it was kicked from the 50-yard line. Could fate be that unkind? An onside kick from the 50 recovered by USC, a game winning field goal as time expired, stranger things have happened.

FACT: Images anyone who was at the game will remember for a long long time.

• Jeff Van Orsow getting his hand up to deflect Booty’s last pass.
  
  
• Idiot fans running around on the field when there were still seven seconds left in the game.
  
  
• The PA announcer asking, in vain, that people stay off of the field until the players have left.
  
  
• Security and police ringing the goal posts to stop fans from tearing them down. You know it has been a good game when they are out there.
  
  
• Dennis Christopher riding on the shoulders of fans.
  
  
• People sitting on the field long after the game was over so they could watch the post-game show on the Jumbotron.
  
  
• A giddy Mike Riley’s answer, or refusal to answer, a question about a play call.
  
  
• Players’ parents on the field hugging their sons.
  
  
• Players pointing up to the stands in celebration.

LAST FACT: Next week’s game against ASU should be a fun one. It is the last Saturday home game so it will be time for some serious tail-gating action. Hope to see you there, WEAR ORANGE, get loud, and don’t forget to bring some extra throat lozenges.

Who's your Big Daddy?

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Big Daddy Orange can be reached at bigdaddyorange@beaverfootball.com